Nigerian Satellite Begins Fall to Earth
11.15.2008


Nigeria's multi-billion naira communications satellite is spinning out of control just 18 months after its launch and has commenced its descent to earth, the Voice of America reported last night.
The Chinese built Nigerian Communication Satellite 1 (NigComSat) which was built at the cost of N40 billion, was expected to provide broadband Internet and communications services for government agencies and the private sector.
But the management of NigComSat had allayed fears early in the week over the satellite saying the situation is under control and that it was only experiencing power problems which had developed from a faulty solar panel.
But critics have called the device a white elephant project that was hurriedly executed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo .
The VOA quotes Paul Ceruzzi who is curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum as saying "(The) satellite, once it is placed in orbit, has to be managed so that it points in the right direction, just like driving a car down the road.
“The antennas have to point to the ground, the solar panels have to point to the sun and they (must) have fuel on board (that) powers tiny rockets that do that or other means of stabilizing it.
“But sometimes they run out of fuel or the Sat system breaks down.  Then it stays there in orbit and begins to tumble, if it loses contact with the solar panels or (they are) no longer pointing at the sun, then it losses electrical power.
“If the antennas are no longer pointing at the ground, then there is no way to communicate with it. So it becomes some kind of dangerous piece of junk flying at 17,000 miles an hour; it can be a serious problem.”
Ceruzzi said it is unusual for new satellites to fail. “In the early days of the space programme things like that happened a lot.
“But over the years they have gotten more reliable. But it does happen. It has happened from time to time and the other issue of course is that all satellites, eventually run out of fuel and they potentially can have the same fate unless people do things to actively manage them for that day. But for something to fail so soon after launch is rare today but it does happen.”
Ceruzzi said it is difficult to have an advance warning of the precise location where a satellite might come down.
Scientists may have such a warning “only in the few hours or so before it actually comes down. It could stay up there for months or years even and then atmospheric drag will slowly bring it out of orbit. And then, only at the very last moment, do you really know where it is going to hit."
THISDAY, last Wednesday reported that the satellite was missing from orbit and that activities manned by the satellite would grind to a halt.
Concerns have also been raised that the huge amount spent by the Nigerian government might be lost except the technical problem, which is believed to be significant, is resolved.
The satellite was said to have started experiencing technical hitches for a while prior to this latest displacement largely due to the fact that it was said to be using a technological standard not meant for Africa but for Asia.
The contract for the NigComSat project was signed on December 15, 2004 in Abuja between China Great Wall Industry Corporation and the National Space Research and Development Agency and was said to have cost the Federal Government over N40 billion. China was awarded the deal after it outbid 21 other international rivals.
The satellite fiasco has made Nigeria the butt of jokes with the BBC in a report on its website describing the operation of the satellite as a debacle and a white elephant in space.
The issue is said to have made the country, currently battling with infrastructure problems such as power, a laughing stock, with emails saying Nigeria has "exported its electricity generation problems to space" being circulated.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=128186

Whither Nigeria!!

This is so, so sad. Gosh!! N40 billion down the drain just like that?

dangerous piece of junk flying at 17,000 miles an hour

Exactly what ive been saying.

Nigeria has "exported its electricity generation problems to space" being circulated.

The junk should be shot down immediately before it comes causing bigger problem for us here.

The problem now is to know where the Satellite is going to fall on earth?,in China maybe? .

I can bet that if it falls in china, the emergency department will not disappoint the affected people and areas with their quick response. But God forbid it falls in nigeria; ahh. . . mo gbe mi oooooo

thisday just de talk; blah bla

na lie! the satellite still de there

so where in the article did it say the satellite was falling chei nigerian journalist and the readers sef!

I pray it lands somewhere in the sea,And that rufai of a guy should be nabbed and prosecuted,
and can u imagine,the guy was planning to launch nigcomsat 2 and 3.
The guy is a fraud.Let the govt catch him and let him identify his acompli.

Na waooh, i said it early that Nigeria  is one unique country in this universe tht nothing is impossible. Nigerian Satellite flying in the air as a result of poor maintainance, lol.Well lets wait for the arrival here on earth now,probably we might be able to gather the pieces.But i hope and pray that it lands in either of this two places,the new Beijing Olympic stadium china or within Aso rock Nigerian.
Confused people in confused government.

ha

na who no no say 419 dey happen every where in dey world. dem don play us wayo. i jst de watch ait where PDP de raise found, na due dem de pay for all de money dem de steal for dis nation. Na only God fit deliever.

There is a saying by our peeps which goes something like this-If a servant (or a slave) remains still rather than gallivanting in an open market square, then the stigma on him will remain still.

Now that our 'forage into space' has met with an embarrassing failure on a wholesale, patriotic folks calling for a nuclear Nigeria will be more cushionable.

And I hope that with some kind of divine-tech guidance that the falling satellite will crash on Obasanjo's head.E-Gbaaaam.

ha ha, aliens no agree with 419 being sent to space. back to sender

this is total rubbish.
nigeria is completely doomed!
N40 Billion in drains, oh,
hmmmmmm, what can i say? it was expected.
just hope it fall directly on Aso rock.

My friend you have to take it easy and dont be too hard on yourself. Usually in Nigeria, when it is officially disclosed that 40 billion naira was spent, conservatively in real terms, that translates to 80 billion naira. And if you chose to probe or look a little deeper on the secondary financial loss to the nation, then it can be anything.

Most people on this forum talk without thinking - what the hell!

Whats d big deal about a technology having fault? when you get sick, or parts of your organ mal functions, does it mean God did a fake work on you, or does it mean you were a result of a bribe or what?

I fear some people o.

lmao rofl

toilet_Rol:

Most people on this forum talk without thinking - what the hell!

Whats d big deal about a technology having fault? when you get sick, or parts of your organ mal functions, does it mean God did a fake work on you, or does it mean you were a result of a bribe or what?

I fear some people o.

I think i will say u are the one who jst talked without thinking.You have to read the new well b4 u started insulting people on here.Wht is a big deal in technology having fault? In this civilised era technology can be out of fault with proper maintainance. And that is wht everyone here is crying of.How could a satellite suddenly developed fault within few months of installation?If not either it was wrongly installed or it lacked adequate maintenance. We all knows that the amount involve is not something to joke abt.If you read the news well u will see tht even bbc used this as thing of karikacho to our dear country and that means the whole world at laughing at our ignorance.

nigeria1, the map bandit must have caused the poor satellite to overheat

so where in the article did it say the satellite was falling chei nigerian journalist and the readers sef!

Ceruzzi said it is difficult to have an advance warning of the precise location where a satellite might come down.
Scientists may have such a warning “only in the few hours or so before it actually comes down. It could stay up there for months or years even and then atmospheric drag will slowly bring it out of orbit. And then, only at the very last moment, do you really know where it is going to hit."

Whats d big deal about a technology having fault? when you get sick, or parts of your organ mal functions, does it mean God did a fake work on you, or does it mean you were a result of a bribe or what?

I fear some people o.

Ceruzzi said it is unusual for new satellites to fail. “In the early days of the space programme things like that happened a lot.
“But over the years they have gotten more reliable.

Is it that some people cant read and make deductions or are just to lazy to read Asking stupid questions when the Answers are in front of you.

Can someone direct the falling satellite to Ota Farms?

kosovo:


just hope it fall directly on Aso rock.

Or Northwards.

bawomolo:

ha ha, aliens no agree with 419 being sent to space. back to sender

Roflmao

kosovo:

this is total rubbish.
nigeria is completely doomed!
N40 Billion in drains, oh,
hmmmmmm, what can i say? it was expected.
just hope it fall directly on Aso rock.

the satellite should divide into two some part should fall on aso rock
while the remaining part should fall on Obasanjo's crib in Abeokuta

doyin13:

nigeria1, the map bandit must have caused the poor satellite to overheat

he he, NASA satelite is next. one at a time

hmmm, This topic seems to be more debatable than the 08 election

WHere would nigeria1 get his pictures from.

Nigeria1 detractors are at work. They posted several threads against him now removing his satellite from space

dayokanu:

WHere would nigeria1 get his pictures from.

Nigeria1 detractors are at work. They posted several threads against him now removing his satellite from space

Why not chillax first because Nigeria@1 is still trying to capture the image of the falling satellite with google earth. Pictures are coming soon.

Well, as you can see, I'm just smiling. In a country where Presidents fight for 3rd terms while their less-fortunate country men are starving; in a country where governors and council chairmen whiz around in siren-wailing motorcades, and God help any stupid idiot that gets in their way; in a country where the first thing senators do upon getting into office is issue themselves new 4x4 jeeps; in a country where the electorate are willing to sell their voting rights to the highest bidder; in a country where putting a white elephant in space takes precedence over educating the leaders of tomorrow; in a country like this, what do you expect?

Frankly, I'm not surprised at all. Until we learn to stop putting the cart before the horse in this country, things like this will never stop happening. Fools at forty. . . fools at forty; my God, BBC of all places!!

Now i need surgery!

All my ribs have FALLEN apart

I am reliably informed that the project was programmed to fail from day one.

That Nigerian competitors gave a $1,000,000,000 bribe to the Chinese firm to sabotage it.

They programmed it to leave orbit after some time.

I AM NOT KIDDING O! THIS INFO IS FROM NITEL.

But, is it not STUPID to allow foreigners handle such a project. If you do not have the technology, DO NOT GO THERE.

Did the Indians give the contact for their to foreigners?